Six charged in jailhouse marijuana conspiracy

Five men and one woman were charged last week for a conspiracy to smuggle marijuana and cigarettes into the Lenoir County Detention Center.

According to the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, on Nov. 10, jail nurses searched two prescription lotion bottles meant for an inmate, finding 20 cigarettes and less than half an ounce of marijuana concealed inside.

Once contacted by the LCDC staff, LCSO Detective David Felton followed up and determined Jaleisa Gooding, 25, brought the bottles to the jail.

According to the LCSO, Gooding talked with five inmates — Darrell Scott Koonce Jr., Tahj Abdur-Rashid Simmons, Willie A. Smith Jr., Teashone Maurice Washington and Deshaun Jasper Yates — who convinced her to try to smuggle in the tobacco and weed.

Sheriff Chris Hill said in a press release all “normal outside products” are banned from the jail, which led the suspect in this case to use prescription bottles.

“In addition to this, we have people who bring contraband into the jail by inserting the products into various body cavities,” Hill said in the statement. “That will soon end because I am now entertaining the purchase of a full body scanner to see the products before they ever make it into the jail population.

“If I do purchase the scanner, I will make the drug dealers pay for it utilizing federal asset forfeiture funds.”

Gooding’s charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, two felony counts of conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana and two misdemeanor counts of conspiracy.

She was placed into the Lenoir County Detention Center under an $8,000 bond.

Koonce, 26; Simmons, 20; Smith, 32; and Yates, 21, received two charges each of felony conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana and misdemeanor conspiracy. Washington picked up one charge of felony conspiracy to sell and deliver marijuana and misdemeanor conspiracy.